Exploring VueJS: An introduction to VueJS

Exploring Vue.js: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners

Welcome to the inaugural installment of our blog series, “Exploring Vue.js”! Whether you’re a newcomer to Vue.js or looking to deepen your understanding, this series is the perfect starting point. We’ll delve into the essential principles of Vue.js, explore best practices, and guide you through the process of building a real Vue app.

Unveiling Vue.js: More Than Just a View

Vue.js revolves around the concept of a view, but it’s much more than that. Developed in 2013 by Evan You, a former Google developer, Vue.js is a reactive, progressive, and lightweight component-based JavaScript framework for frontend development. Unlike other frameworks, Vue.js not only prioritizes the view layer but also emphasizes scalability and optimizing the developer experience.

Why Choose Vue.js?

The popularity of Vue.js surged in 2018 due to its user-friendly nature and flexibility. Here are some compelling reasons to choose Vue.js for your projects:

1. Reactive Data-Binding

Vue.js adopts a data-driven approach, where changes in data automatically trigger updates to the DOM. This is facilitated through the View-Model approach, streamlining the relationship between your view and data within a template.

2. Composable Components

Vue.js excels in creating reusable components, a crucial aspect for managing complex applications. Components in Vue.js are decoupled, allowing developers to define, compose, and facilitate data communication between them. Your UI essentially becomes a tree of components, enhancing maintainability.

3. Ease of Integration

Vue.js seamlessly integrates into existing projects, whether standalone or alongside other libraries. This flexibility enables you to inject Vue components into projects using vanilla JavaScript, Angular, or React, providing migration possibilities.

4. Ease of Use

Vue.js boasts a straightforward syntax and APIs, making it accessible to developers familiar with AngularJS or jQuery. The well-written documentation ensures a smooth learning curve, and the Vue.js ecosystem supports developers in project setup.

5. Performance

With a size ranging from 18-21kB, Vue.js stands out as one of the fastest and smallest frameworks. This compact size contributes to efficient downloading and usage, a crucial factor in frontend development.

Preparing for Vue.js Mastery

Before we dive into Vue.js, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• Basic knowledge of JavaScript (consider taking our JavaScript Basics course).
• Proficiency in HTML and CSS for creating a visually appealing UI.
• Node.js npm version 8.9 or above (8.11.0+ recommended) or Yarn yarn installed.
• A code editor (VSCode or Webstorm recommended).
• Enthusiasm for becoming a Vue.js master!

Now that you’re ready, let’s embark on our Vue.js journey.

Setting Up Your Vue.js Environment with Vue CLI

Vue.js simplifies project setup through various methods, and in this series, we’ll use the vue-cli tool. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Install vue-cli Package

Run the following command in your terminal to install vue-cli globally, allowing you to create apps beyond the current directory:

2. Create a Pokemon App

Generate a Pokemon app from the boilerplate using the following command:

3. Selecting Presets

During the setup, you’ll be prompted to choose various presets. For this series, select the following:

• Babel
• Linter
• Router
• Vuex
• CSS pre-processors (Sass)
• PWA (optional but highly recommended)

4. Project Configuration

Explore different Vue.js topics by building a Pokemon web application. Once the creation process is complete, navigate to the app directory and install dependencies:

5. Launch Your App

Run the development server to get your app up and running:

Visit http://localhost:8080/ in your browser, and you should see your app successfully compiled and running.

Understanding Vue.js Project Structure

Now that your app is running, let’s explore the structure of a Vue.js project:

1. The .vue File Format

Vue.js follows the single-file component concept, utilizing the *.vue file format. Each Vue component consists of three top-level language blocks:

• <template> (Required): Contains the HTML code for rendering the component.
• <script> (Optional): Houses the logic of the component in JavaScript.
• <style> (Optional): Defines CSS styling blocks.

2. main.js

This serves as the entry file for your app, where you register services, components, routes, and define the root element for Vue to render.

3. App.vue

App.vue defines the root component of your app, specifying where to render the view component of a route.

4. router.js

This file, using vue-router, defines your app’s routing and navigation logic.

5. store.js

store.js is the state management file for your app, utilizing Vuex.

6. registerServiceWorker.js

Here, your app is registered with the browser’s service worker to enable PWA capabilities, including offline usage and enhanced performance.

7. Components, Views, Assets

• Components: The folder where you organize reusable component files.
• Views: Stores components relevant to specific Vue.js routes.
• Assets: Used for public assets like images.

Conclusion

In this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored the fundamentals of Vue.js, from its core concepts to setting up your project with vue-cli. Additionally, we’ve delved into the structure of a Vue.js application and dissected the components that make it work seamlessly. Stay tuned for upcoming posts in this series as we take a hands-on approach to building a Pokemon web application with Vue.js. Excited? Let’s dive in and master Vue.js together! 🚀